From a Dark Place , Chewing by P . T . Corwin
Edward had been dead for two weeks now , and yet Adeline still heard him in the house .
She awoke to him that morning , to a soft noise that filled the bedroom like smoke .
At first , Adeline thought that maybe rats had made their home in the space between the walls , scratching at the wood from within . But then it did not sound like scratching , but rather like a sort of crunching . A lot like Edward , sitting down for breakfast , chewing his toast - crispy brown and buttered , with a sprinkle of pepper for the taste . Crunch crunch crunch . Adeline pressed the pillow over her ears , but still the noise persisted , like the last tendrils of a nightmare which occupies the small recesses of the mind long after waking . As if he was here with her , standing perhaps by the window - his hulking mass squeezed into a dull-brown suit , his face unsmiling , eyes judging behind the roundrimmed glasses .
Adeline gripped the pillow and threw it , hoping in some way to hear him cry out in indignation but at least quit his chewing . But the pillow - lacking a victim - only bounced off the cupboard and fell to the floor . 44